Chapter 14: Edo Tensei

For a few seconds, Kandachi was overwhelmed, unable to process the sensation in his body.

Suspended mid-air, his neck was gripped by an iron-like hand, the pain unbearable.

As he remained dazed, a mocking voice echoed from behind him.

"Madara! Didn't I promise that once I mastered the Eight Gates, the first person I'd kick to death would be you?

Well, guess what? I'm here to fulfill that promise!"

No sooner had the words fallen than Kandachi felt the hand gripping his neck suddenly tighten before hurling him skyward.

At this moment, Kandachi finally grasped the gravity of his situation. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he flailed his limbs in mid-air, screaming desperately.

"Rinjin! Rinjin-sama! Spare me!

We're friends, aren't we? Please, great lord!

Kōhei-sama, remember how you used needles on me before? I endured it obediently, didn't I? Surely you haven't forgotten!"

Hearing this, Rinjin nearly toppled off the crumbling wall in exasperation.

What do you mean I used needles on you?

Those weren't needles!

They were iron rods!

Wait, no—they weren't iron rods either!

Flustered by the absurdity of Kandachi's plea, Rinjin's embarrassment turned to fury.

Clasping his hands together, he formed a seal with his thumbs upright, index and middle fingers crossed, while the ring and pinky fingers pressed together. Aiming at the falling Kandachi, he roared:

"Liu Dehua!"

With a thunderous shout, a blindingly white, ferocious tiger exploded from Rinjin's fingertips.

Daytime Tiger!

The highly compressed air in the shape of a tiger surged forth, instantly engulfing Kandachi's struggling figure.

The white tiger did not stop, charging toward the unsuspecting Amegakure ninjas.

In an instant, the tiger landed and detonated, transforming into a massive, swirling white vortex that enveloped the bodies of the ninjas.

Their forms gradually disintegrated, as if being swept away like sand in the wind.

Surveying the destruction he had wrought, Rinjin clenched his fists in exhilaration.

Youth! Supreme!

The Eight Gates technique—forever the divine art!

Amidst Rinjin's triumphant release of the Daytime Tiger, Salamander Hanzo had already vanished, escaping deftly using his well-practiced Body Flicker Technique.

Despite his reputation as a "demi-god" of the ninja world, his leadership of Amegakure, and his solo defense against Iwagakure's invasion—

None of that mattered.

Faced with an opponent like Rinjin, whose single-target burst output might even surpass the Third Raikage, Hanzo knew he stood no chance.

He had always excelled at assessing situations, and this time was no exception.

Perched atop the wall, Rinjin felt the rapid movement of the Flying Thunder God Technique marker and smirked slightly.

Hanzo, huh? You're pretty fast at running away!

But where exactly do you think you can escape to? Did you really think my earlier touch was just a casual grope?

With that thought, Rinjin formed a single-handed seal, and his figure vanished instantly.

The world spun briefly.

When he reappeared, he was already outside the village.

Reaching out, he grabbed the fleeing Hanzo by the shoulder and applied slight pressure.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed as Hanzo let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with terror.

This guy—when did he get behind me?

Why didn't I sense anything?

As Hanzo pondered his predicament, Rinjin's figure disappeared again.

When he reappeared, his iron-like hand had already grasped Hanzo's other intact shoulder.

Crack!

Hanzo could no longer contain himself. The excruciating pain of both shoulder joints being shattered caused him to roar in agony.

"Why?! Why are you trying to kill me?!"

Hearing Hanzo's desperate and nonsensical question, Rinjin's eyes flashed with cruelty as he sneered.

"Why? You're asking me why?

Hahaha!

Fine, I'll tell you!

Because of Mizuguma!

Do you remember that name?

Do you recall that insignificant weakling you never cared about?

Do you remember the fool who died on the battlefield because of you?"

As he spoke, Rinjin crouched in front of Hanzo, letting out a long sigh, his expression suddenly melancholic.

"I know—you don't remember.

But that's okay. In the next ten, twenty, or even a hundred years, you'll have plenty of time to reflect on the joy that name brought you!"

As Rinjin spoke, Hanzo's breathing apparatus suddenly fell to the ground.

In the next moment, accompanied by his heavy panting, purple poison gas began to spread rapidly.

Amid the toxic smoke, Rinjin squinted slightly, his face full of mockery.

After a while, seeing Rinjin unaffected by the poison, Hanzo's eyes were filled with despair.

"You! You! What kind of monster are you?!"

"Oh~ Is that your final word?

How boring—just like you."

With that, Rinjin's hand slowly reached for Hanzo's neck and whispered:

"Hanzo-sama, you better pray that I can successfully obtain those eyes and bring back that idiot Mizuguma;

Otherwise, you'll never know what the Pure Land looks like!"

As the words fell, Rinjin snapped Hanzo's neck amidst his terrified gaze.

Hoisting Hanzo's lifeless corpse, Rinjin formed a seal with one hand and left the perpetually rain-soaked land.

Underground base in the Land of Hot Water.

On the ground, Rinjin was carefully painting a human torso-like pattern with a brush.

At the shoulders of the pattern, two large characters were inscribed: "Edo" and "Tensei."

At the heart of the pattern knelt a man blindfolded and bound, trembling all over.

An infamous rogue ninja who delighted in murder and pillaging—perfect as a vessel for the Edo Tensei technique.

At the head of the pattern lay an open scroll, at its center a blood-stained finger.

Rinjin crouched behind the scroll, meticulously forming seals.

Tiger → Snake → Dog → Dragon.

Finally, he clasped his hands together and uttered a low command:

"Edo Tensei!"

The voice echoed through the empty underground space.

In the next instant, dust rose from the ground, slowly enveloping the struggling vessel.

Before long, the struggles ceased as a face filled with pain emerged from the dust—it was none other than Salamander Hanzo, who had just died.

"Yo~ Hanzo-sama, welcome back!"

Rinjin waved cheerfully before pulling out a kunai adorned with sealing tags, slowly approaching Hanzo.

Watching Rinjin draw closer, Hanzo hesitated for a long moment before lifting his head sluggishly and speaking:

"I... I'm alive again?

No... You're desecrating the souls of the dead!"

Hearing this, Rinjin smiled calmly, though his eyes held no trace of warmth.

He pressed the kunai against Hanzo's head and murmured:

"I told you already—you better pray I can obtain those damn eyes.

Otherwise, you'll remain in this form, under my control, for who knows how many years."

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

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